Throughout the nation, there are many installation sites which use natural gas, homes, for example. Conventionally, the natural gas is provided through a riser tube or supply line with the flow of gas supplied to the home being controlled by a main on/off valve; and it then passes through a pressure regulator and through a meter. The metered gas then flows into the installation site through a test station on demand, that is, upon the use of an appliance(s) and the like.
There has long been a problem of gas leaks which is troublesome and which is well known and appreciated in the field. One general source of leaks are at joints or connections of the gas line to appliances within the installation site. For this reason, a test station is conventionally installed in the line downstream of the meter to determine if there are any gas leaks at the installation site. The set up of the test station often becomes another annoying source of leaks.
Generally speaking, leaks usually develop at joints which connect tubular gas pipe sections in fluid communication with one another or to an appliance. To conduct a test, a manometer is connected into the gas line at the test station downstream of the pressure regulator and meter. Thereafter, all of the utility gas outlet valves are closed and the main upstream on/off valve is closed. If the pressure as sensed by the manometer decreases in the downstream service line, this, of course, signals that there is a leak which needs to be repaired.
As can be readily appreciated, there are many types and sizes of set ups for these test stations which are dictated in part by the wide variety of construction sites which exist. Often, the space for a suitable test station is very cramped or of an unusual configuration being confined by surrounding building structure. Conventional test stations are composed of interconnected plumbing type fittings, such as T-shaped members, elbows, and tubular links. They are more often than not unsightly, tortured, configurations of pieces of plumbing which are prone to troublesome leaks.
It is important that a test station be small and compact, easily installed, and more efficient than previously used gas line testing stations. Further, the plugs at conventional test stations are attractive to smaller children who are apt to remove one by unscrewing it and with this, there is attendant, unsafe, resulting leaks.